HISTORY & EVENTS
Wario's greatest rival is Mario, which stems back to childhood according to various comics and the Super Mario-kun manga, where their rivalry is a major theme.[38] According to Mario in the instruction booklet of Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins, Wario has been jealous of Mario because of his fame, ever since they were children. While Wario occasionally teams up with Mario (for example, in Super Mario 64 DS), the relationship between them is mostly hostile, though Wario feels more contempt toward Mario rather than actual malice and Mario does try to be civil and friendly with Wario sometimes. A quiz on the Play Nintendo website states that Wario "claims to be Mario’s old friend". The official website for Wario Land 4 reveals that Wario enjoys tying Luigi's shoelaces together, and he is antagonistic toward Mario's other friends as well. A rumor claimed that Mario and Wario were tied by a familial relationship as cousins, but no official source actually stated that.[39] The closest acknowledgement to such a relationship was a line in the Super Mario Land 2 - 6-tsu no Kinka 3 manga, in which Wario tricks Mario into sparing his life by lying to be his long-lost brother separated through adoption.[40]
He fought Toad directly in Wario's Woods, where he often called him names such as "'Shroom"; Wario and Toads also share bad chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball (but not its sequel). Toads show fear toward Wario in Super Mario 64 DS, though they try their best to be polite to him. One remarks on Wario's lack of hygiene and advises him to wash his cap more often. A few, however, admit to changing their opinion on Wario after realizing how many Power Stars Wario has retrieved.
Opening cinematic of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Wario and Waluigi are shown teamed up in the majority of Super Mario games they appear in together.
Captain Syrup is another recurring nemesis. In her appearances in various Wario Land games, she and her gang often get involved in seizing treasure from Wario. Captain Syrup has mockingly called him "handsome" in her latest appearance in Wario Land: Shake It!. Wario is also on bad terms with Bowser, as they mercilessly taunt each other in Mario Superstar Baseball and possibly share some rivalry, as shown in the opening movie of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. While they teamed up in Mario Power Tennis against the Mario Bros., this is the exception rather than the norm, with Wario helping to defeat Bowser in Super Mario 64 DS, and Bowser stopping Wario from taking Mario down in Mario Super Sluggers out of a desire to finish off their mutual foe himself.
In Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash, Wario was depicted as having a crush on Peach and tried to one-up Mario by buying her a Samus Doll she wanted for her birthday before Mario could. Wario also attempted to find a stolen golden statue of Peach in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 in order to ransom it back for money. Peach appreciates Wario's heroic deeds in Super Mario 64 DS, although in Mario Super Sluggers, they have bad chemistry. Despite this, Mona instead fills in the role of Wario's love interest, with various WarioWare games and supplementary material revealing that she harbors romantic feelings for her friend and employer, Wario, who is occasionally hinted to return the interest. She once revealed to Joe that she was interested in Wario's mustache. However, Mona's only concern for Wario is if he is too cheap to pay her fair share and everyone else's.
While Wario and Waluigi sometimes bicker, they share good chemistry in the baseball games and often team up in sports events and spinoff titles such as in Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party 7, and Mario Golf: Super Rush. The two share many aspects of their personalities, the Mario Bros.'s being rivals, and even looks, although the exact relationship between Wario and Waluigi is somewhat ambiguous. Certain Nintendo of Europe sources, such as Wario's Warehouse[41] or the Mario Kart DS website,[42] suggest that they are siblings, but the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games contradicts this idea by stating that they are not related under a News Brief.[43] Waluigi's trophies in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl indicate that their relationship is intended to be unclear; Wario merely calls Waluigi his "sneaky pal" when the two were briefly in opposition in Mario Super Sluggers, and Charles Martinet, who voiced both characters, has stated his belief that they are simply "two evil guys who found each other". According to Fumihide Aoki, Waluigi was intended to be Wario's brother but pictured their current relationship as that of "like co-workers who only cooperate with each other when their goals are the same."[44] In a 2008 interview with Nintendo DREAM, Shugo Takahashi stated that the two are not friends or brothers, or even blood-related.[45]
In the WarioWare series, he has a growing selection of employees. In particular, Jimmy T is rumored to be his childhood friend. Mona is stated to have helped him adventuring, look up to him and have a crush on him, with the third break scene in Wario's second story in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! alluding to Wario returning her affection by stating he finds her cute as he dreams of her. He trusts Dr. Crygor to help with fixing his machines and creating his bike. His A-Rank card in WarioWare Gold states that he never locks his door so his friends can come and go as they please. While the trailer for WarioWare: Get It Together! shows Wario calling his employees "chumps", he also praises their abilities. Starting with WarioWare Gold, he also keeps a picture of everyone with him. However, he has been known to use them for cheaper labor and get away without paying them. Despite this, his employees forgive him not long after setting him straight. Even with this respect for his friends, Wario considers himself to be the best, with all other people beneath him.[46] Overall, Wario's greed can get him into trouble with his employees, but he is ultimately close friends with them.
In Super Mario 64 DS, both King Bob-omb and Chief Chilly view Wario's mustache as "worthy" to challenge theirs, while insulting Mario, Luigi about their mustaches and Yoshi's lack of one. Throughout both battles, the two characters do not berate Wario as much as they did to the other heroes, but they still treat him as an enemy of Bowser.
Wario has also been an acquaintance of Donkey Kong. In Mario Party, they are shown doing poses together, and they both specialize in strength. In Mario Superstar Baseball, they are on the same team, with Donkey Kong even attempting to give Wario a fist bump for the latter's home run, only to unintentionally pound Wario into the ground. Often, Wario has the same demeanor with Donkey Kong as he does with everyone else, but to some degree, Wario sees Donkey Kong as a powerful asset on his side.
